Behold the Ampeg B-15, a simple box on wheels that houses the very crossroads of ingenuity, portability, and sonic superiority beneath its four latches. When Ampeg introduced the B-15 Portaflex (short for portable reflex baffle system) in 1960, it set the standard for all future bass amplification, quickly becoming the most popular bass amp in the world. More important, it gave the then-nine-year-old electric bass guitar its first true voice: fat and fundamental, thanks to the warmth of six tubes and a tuned, closed-back cabinet. With the dawn of highpowered amps still a decade away, the B-15 could be found live and in the studio behind the instrument’s premier pluckers: James Jamerson in Detroit, Duck Dunn in Memphis, Chuck Rainey in New York and Los Angeles.
Through the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and into the new millennium, it has endured, much beloved and sought-after as a vintage piece, while permeating the studio plucks of such modern sharpshooters as Darryl Jones, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Alex Al, and Owen Biddle. Having turned 50, the latest chapter for the “the Flex” is the release of the new Heritage B-15 [see review, page 42], which debuted at BASS PLAYER LIVE! Pure Crack Fix Seed4me ? on this page. To get the inside story of the ever-present Portaflex, we joined Tony Levin, Ampeg Artist Relations Manager Chrys Johnson, and Ampeg Senior Product Specialist Dino Monoxelos at the Massapequa Park, Long Island, home of Jess Oliver. A seminal figure in Ampeg lore, Oliver was the first person to put reverb in a guitar amp, helped design the vacuum form machine for the Ampeg Baby Bass, and hired Bill Hughes, the man behind the SVT. His place in music history, however, is firmly cemented by his invention of the B-15. Drivers Motif Xs6 Software.
As Oliver was being presented with the new Heritage model he consulted on, he was more than willing to field questions about his fabulous fliptop. How did you get into building instrument amplifiers? Jess Oliver: I started out as an electrician, and I played upright bass on the weekends. I needed a pickup, so I went to Ampeg on 42nd Street and bought one from [Ampeg founder] Everett Hull. Echo And The Bunnymen Discography Rar Downloads on this page. He was impressed that I could install it myself, and he offered me a job.
Find best value and selection for your Ampeg B 15T Porta Flex Flip Top Bass Amp search on eBay. World's leading marketplace. It's an Ampeg SVT-15T 100W Combo. How much is this amp worth? Rick has an Orion 'Blue Book' reference manual and he can get you the relative worth of your. Ampeg’s SVT-7PRO pumps out a ferocious kilowatt of power in a compact design that weighs in.
At the time, I was hanging 75-pound traffic lights on an extension ladder braced on power lines, so I took him up on his offer. He also paid for me to go to night school at the RCA Institute, to study amplifier technology and design. The first amp I built was a Johnny Smith guitar model. Ampeg had the 825 and 835 bass amp line, and I built some prototypes around them that were an improvement, but I wasn’t satisfied with any of them until I designed the Portaflex.
